'Pretty Little Liars' star Tyler Blackburn comes out bisexual
Mon. April 22, 2019 5:00 PM by OnTopMag.com
In a cover interview with LGBT glossy The Advocate, actor Tyler Blackburn said that he's identified as bisexual since he was a teenager.
The 32-year-old Blackburn is best known for playing Caleb Rivers on the Freedom series Pretty Little Liars and its spin-off Ravenswood.
"I'm queer," Blackburn said. "I've identified as bisexual since a teenager. I just want to feel powerful in my own skin, and my own mind, and in my own heart."
"I heard so many things from within the queer community about bisexuality being a cop-out or bullshit or the easy way out or something, and that always stuck with me because I felt the pressure from all sides to have [my sexuality] figured out and I think for the longest time, I suppressed more of my attraction to men. It wasn't until my late 20s, towards the end of Pretty Little Liars, that I really allowed myself to go there and not just wonder about it or lust over it, but experience that vulnerability and experience the emotional aspect of what it is to be bisexual," he said.
Blackburn plays Alex Manes, a gay military veteran, on the CW's Roswell, New Mexico. He said he can identify with the character.
"I knew this guy in and out," he said. "I understood feeling oppressed. I understood having issues with my father [wanting to feel] accepted by him. I understood wanting something but being afraid to have it. I understood self-doubt."
Blackburn added that he just wants to live his own truth.
"I just want to live my truth and feel OK with experiencing love and experiencing self-love," he said. "Yes, there is an element of, I want to feel like it's OK to hold my boyfriend's hand as I'm walking down the street, and not worry. Is someone going to look and be like, 'Whoa, is that guy from that show? I didn't know that [he was queer.]' I want to own my space now."
The 32-year-old Blackburn is best known for playing Caleb Rivers on the Freedom series Pretty Little Liars and its spin-off Ravenswood.
"I'm queer," Blackburn said. "I've identified as bisexual since a teenager. I just want to feel powerful in my own skin, and my own mind, and in my own heart."
"I heard so many things from within the queer community about bisexuality being a cop-out or bullshit or the easy way out or something, and that always stuck with me because I felt the pressure from all sides to have [my sexuality] figured out and I think for the longest time, I suppressed more of my attraction to men. It wasn't until my late 20s, towards the end of Pretty Little Liars, that I really allowed myself to go there and not just wonder about it or lust over it, but experience that vulnerability and experience the emotional aspect of what it is to be bisexual," he said.
Blackburn plays Alex Manes, a gay military veteran, on the CW's Roswell, New Mexico. He said he can identify with the character.
"I knew this guy in and out," he said. "I understood feeling oppressed. I understood having issues with my father [wanting to feel] accepted by him. I understood wanting something but being afraid to have it. I understood self-doubt."
Blackburn added that he just wants to live his own truth.
"I just want to live my truth and feel OK with experiencing love and experiencing self-love," he said. "Yes, there is an element of, I want to feel like it's OK to hold my boyfriend's hand as I'm walking down the street, and not worry. Is someone going to look and be like, 'Whoa, is that guy from that show? I didn't know that [he was queer.]' I want to own my space now."
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine